In a New York Times article titled, “Next Test: Value of $125,000-a-Year Teachers," a school in Washington Heights in New York City is testing the idea of offering that much money to teachers. Some teachers who were hired include:
- A former trainer of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant,
- An explorer from Arizona who spent decades at public, private, urban, and rural schools, and
- An accomplished violinist
They are all part of an innovative charter school that will open in September. Salaries will be set at $125,000, which is twice as much than the average New York City public school teacher earns and two and a half times more than the national average for teacher salaries. Teachers will also be eligible for bonuses of up to $25,000 a year.
The Equity Project (which is the school’s name) has the theory that better pay brings better teachers, not “revolutionary technology, talented principals, or smaller class sizes.” The school will pick students in a lottery that will “give preference to children from the neighborhood and to low academic performance,” mostly from Hispanic families. So far, they have received 600 applications. The school will open this spring with 120 fifth-graders chosen.
I say that it is about time teachers get their due when it comes to pay. Yes, this school will bring on a lot of challenges, but I feel that the teachers will take better control of their students’ education with a bigger paycheck. All of us have been to a store, seen something that was pertinent to a lesson we were teaching, and bought the product knowing that we would not be reimbursed. Some teachers say, “Well, if the school is not going to pay me for it, then the kids really don’t need it.” Higher pay will help assuage any of those added costs of being a teacher.
What I do not like about this article is the way that the school (and the teachers) boasted about their background. I can understand being proud of what you did and where you came from, but what I don’t like is the type of profiling that is shown in this article. Do the past experiences of some of these teachers make them a better candidate than someone who did not have the opportunity to do some of these things? No. Some of my best teachers were ones who were too poor to do a lot of things. I believe that content knowledge takes a backseat to classroom management skills. If I can't manage a classroom, then what does it matter if I know a lot about the subject?
Would you teach at a school that offered $125,000 a year even if you knew that your job might not be there next year?
Do better salaries bring better-qualified teachers?
Would you give up some of your technology in your school in order to have a bigger paycheck?
Am I worth $125,000? If that a trick question? lol! I think we all believe we are worth a decent amount of money. $125,000? Thats a tough one because on one level, most of us didn't enter teaching for the money. Our motivation was altruistic, not financial so you get into those kinds of numbers and I wonder if that doesn't taint things a little. By that I mean, if you make teaching that profitable, does the motivation turn from wanting to help people to greed? And if so, would that lower the quality because you're getting people who are in it for the wrong reason and their motivation isn't to help it's to make a lot of money? I'm not saying we don't desrve it. I'm not saying I wouldn't take it. I'm just saying if we change the motivation for why people get into teaching do we change something very fundemental about the job? Just something to ponder.
ReplyDeleteThe core question - are teachers worth $125,000? - to me is a simply one to answer. If a guy who works half the year playing a childs game, who's efforts don't impact society in any important way beyond entertainment is worth 10 million a year, how can a teacher not be worth $125,000? Pretty easy logic to me, but society doesn't seem to get it.
"Would you teach at a school that offered $125,000 a year even if you knew that your job might not be there next year?"
Considering that is up to 5-6 tears pay for teachers (depending on where you are and your experiance) who wouldn't? The job I have right now isn't guarenteed beyond next year and I get paid far less than that.
"Do better salaries bring better-qualified teachers?"
I think better salaries will but it is up to the school to hire the right people. frankly, $125,000 is going to attract everyone, good and bad, so if it is done the school has to take the hiring and interview process very, very seriously. There is the potential for getting the very best, and the potential for getting the worst because greed will motivate everyone to apply. that is what I was getting at earlier.
"Would you give up some of your technology in your school in order to have a bigger paycheck?"
Easy short answer - no way. I am there to teach. I have a responsibility to those kids to get it right. the technology helps me do that - a bigger paycheck probably does not. I would take the technology over the paycheck.
Of course I think I'm worth $125,000 but nor sure if anyone else does! This doesn't seem like a bad thing to me if you want to attract the best candidates. However, just because someone is the best on paper doesn't mean they'd be the best fit in the classroom or school. Another problem I see is whether or not these people are licensed teachers. Do you have to be licensed to teach in a charter school or do you just need a degree? Does it matter?
ReplyDeleteI feel there is a huge difference between knowing a lot about a subject and being able to teach the subject to someone else. We as teachers spend a great deal of time working on our delivery of information, dealing with different learning styles, etc. If the pay increase attracts the best person to teach and kids test scores and overall aptitude increase, then I'm all for it.
I wouldn't give up some of the technology in our school for a bigger paycheck. I think I'm in the minority that doesn't complain about teacher pay. Would I like to make more? Sure. The technology I've learned to use is what makes me the teacher I am today. I like being innovative and creative and think not only does it help my students learn, but it also makes my class more interesting.
You hit on something that is an important issue facing education and that is the issue of salary. Arguments can be made that teaching is the most important profession around because without teachers you would not have anyone to teach the doctors or lawyers how do their jobs. If teacher salaries were raised this would attract higher quality teachers into the profession. It would also attract a higher number of potential college students who are looking for their future vocation.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for myself, I would definitely work at a school that offered $125,000 even if I was not guaranteed the job next year. The money would defiantly be enticing and would drawl a lot of teachers away from their current jobs even if there were not promised job security.
If teacher salaries were raised it would change the face of education. There would be open competition for job openings and there would be an influx of people seeking these jobs. Ultimately, a pay increase would be a good thing in education because teachers would force to be competent because other teacher would be waiting in the wings to take their jobs. Just look to the sports world to see that competition breeds success and this type of open competition can only translate into effective student learning.
Based upon what I know? Probably not. Based upon what I do? Definitely! I found it interesting that you mentioned "out of pocket" expenses. Teaching kindergarten, I try to order what I know I will need...but things always come up. We have so many celebrations and different themed units that I am always finding things that I can use to teach a lesson. I only ask for reimbursement when the product walks out the door with a student/parent. If it's something I can keep and use later, I pay for it. I think this is pretty fair. If I was paid 125,000 a year I would buy myself a SMARTBoard and other materials that I "dream" about having in my classroom. I just might buy a boat and a camper too!
ReplyDeleteYour right, a teacher can know a lot and have all the experience in the world and still not be effective in the classroom. The content knowledge I have to know in kindergarten is pretty limited... If I was unable to manage my classroom of twelve bubbling six year old personalities attempting to learn content knowledge would be fruitless.
Really interesting article and it definitely caught my eye. I am the kind of person who does what I need to do at work, but when it is time to go home I go home. I don’t put in the extra time unless I have to. I instead use that time to teach private lessons. I have always said that if the school paid me more, I would definitely put a lot more time and effort into everything I do. Not that I don’t work hard as it is, but I would do a lot of the extra things that are not said has to be done, but are somewhat expected of us. For instance, I would go to more conferences and take more classes to better my teaching. I would also do more after school groups like starting a percussion ensemble or steel drum band. The extra money would make it worthwhile for me to put in the extra time and effort it takes to do those activities. I am interested to see a follow-up article once the school has opened. I am interested to see if the teachers will put in more time and effort.
ReplyDeleteDo I think we all need to be paid more? YES! Do I feel any teacher I know, have known, or currently work with is worth 125,000 dollars a year? NO WAY. At least not for the reasons stated in the article, and no one I know would have the right qualifications. I do think it is important what these people are "trying" to do, but is there a better way to spread that money out and have it reach more students or for that matter more teachers? I am sure students in this small charter school with the well paid teachers will excel, at least I hope they will, but how sad for the 580 students being left out. Why are they less valuable?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post. I had not heard about this project. It may be very effective. However the thing I do struggle with is the licensing. Are these people licensed teachers? And also the facts which were given about the individuals involved do not prove to me that they would be effective teachers regardless of how much money they were given. However, I do strongly agree with the society shift that would occur if teachers made this much money. Competition. Teaching would become much more competitive and then would hopefully gain the individuals who are highly motivated and skilled educators which would directly benefit our students. I think that is one thing that this noble career is missing, the social lift of being a professional. This would create an environment where it is not only “good” and “nice” to be a teacher but revered. When teachers educate the next doctors and engineers and mold their formative years, why do they not receive the same social praise? Since I was about 12 I wondered this, why is it not as important to be a teacher as it is to be a doctor when the teachers teach the doctors?
ReplyDelete